Bolinao, Pangasinan (May 2011)

We badly needed a vacation last year and because I went to Bolinao a few months before, I insisted we go here for our summer outing. With each paying Php 2,000 for accommodation, food and transpo expenses, we had one of the most awesome summer trips we’ve always wanted.

We rode a northbound bus to Pangasinan and I slept throughout the trip so I don’t know where exactly we got off. But here’s what I’m sure of: we went to Kevin’s house where we had breakfast while waiting for our hired van to take us to Bolinao. Our group stopped by the market to buy water and food to cook and grill in the resort. I was still dizzy from the lack of sleep so I stayed in the van while they shop. Hehe.

We originally planned to stay in Bing’s resort but we changed our mind because:

1. The room was still unavailable
2. The room was not beach front, you have to cross the road to reach the beach
3. My contact person was not available when we got there
4. Beach was small and kind of dirty
5. Grilling station was a bit dirty
6. There is only one available hut in the area
7. There is also a big group having their team building / outing and we’ll be overpowered and annoyed if we stayed there
8. We felt it was not our beach.

So we apologized for the inconvenience and left, and looked for another resort. We went back to the start of the resort-filled beach front stretch and stopped by SCL Garden Paradise Resort. We were so happy with the place (you can check out the video below for proof)! They gave us a room big enough for 7 people. We unpacked the shopping bags and started cooking lunch.

We had salted eggs and tomatoes, grilled pork chops, hot dogs etc. Just thinking about what we ate that day makes me hungry.

 After lunch, some of us decided to take dip, others played frisbee, some volleyball.

That afternoon, our frisbee friends taught us how to play the game. I initially thought that frisbee is just a catching game. I thought you just have to catch the disk. But you actually have to RUN and pass the disk to your side/base to get a point. I was not ready for this. It was a rough fun game though.

After a tiring game, we hung out and talked and took photos!

We just had to do a mini-photoshoot!

I forgot what we had for dinner but I was really glad we stayed in SCL because the staff were so nice and friendly, they let us use the cooking utensils they have there! I guess it’s open for all the guests because when we left, another batch of visitors went to the dirty kitchen to prepare their dinner. I love it!

They have a videoke machine too but a group of teenagers was using it so I can’t say if the songs were updated or not.

Nope, we didn’t go night-swimming because it was too dark and dangerous, but you can opt to sit on the sand, listen to the waves and watch out for falling stars with your cold beer!

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Day 2 is a going around Bolinao day.

We said goodbye to SCL Garden Resort

We’ll definitely go back there.

I want to stop by the gorgeous rock formations but the sun was still high and too early to take pictures, and well, we didn’t think we’d have enough time . Instead, we passed by the Enchanted Cave:

From what I remember, there is a different entrance fee for those who want to take a bath inside the cave. We didn’t plan on swimming so just paid for the cheaper fee. The water is really cold down there so if you have a lot of time to spare, I suggest you have your lunch there and experience the icy cold water inside the cave.

We also stopped by Cape Bolinao:

And took a looooot of photos. The lighthouse itself was a beauty even if it’s small. Good thing the sky was clear, we had a lot of good photos

We had a hearty lunch at Bolinao Seafoods Grill just for over a thousand pesos. We ordered chopsuey, a plateful of sizzling mushrooms, pakbet, liempo and my favorite, crispy bangus! YUUUUM!

This photo above I took last March 2011. This is the sign inside the restaurant but they have a different name posted outside the gates. I’m a bit confused too. But you can immediately see this place (right side) before you reach the main road (coming from the resorts area).

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Perfect weather, awesome beach, great company = epic weekend!

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Check out our Bolinao Trip video and outtakes here, compiled and edited by Kizia

*Photos above by everyone

Bolinao, Pangasinan (March 2011)

My first time in Bolinao, Pangasinan was for a music video shoot for Miguel Escueta’s Now It Starts.

The trip to Bolinao was purely for work but I instantly fell in love with the place. We stayed at a beach-front resort : Punta Riviera in Brgy Ilog Malino, Bolinao Pangasinan.

Check out their website here: http://www.puntarivieraresort.com/

My Producer stayed in Puerto del Sol before but she didn’t really like the place, so she booked rooms for the team in Punta Riviera instead. Rooms can accommodate 2-4 people. Some can even accommodate 20pax. I don’t have photos but you can see them in their website. I am also not sure if they have free breakfast – we had catering care of Punta Riviera for the crew.

The good thing is that it’s a bit cheaper than Puerto del Sol. Here are a few photos from my iPod.

Yes we had a bonfire! It’s part of the shoot. Haven’t you seen the video?? Go and watch it first before reading the rest of the entry!

Here’s Miguel Escueta shooting a message for our behind the scenes video.

There are open cottages at the beach front where you can put your stuff or eat lunch/snacks. You can also ask the hotel staff for kayak or boat rentals if you want to explore Ilog Malino. Punta Riviera’s got a pool if you want to go swimming at night. The only downside, which is actually the main problem (I think) by most resorts in Bolinao, is the low tide. From the beach, you have to walk a long way first to be able to take a decent swim.

We headed to an amazing sea-side rock formation place and shot most of the singing clips there. The place was amazing. I should have brought a decent camera with me that day. It’s better if you stop by there during sunset. I bet your photos will look fantastic.

There is a minimum entrance fee of Php20-Php50 (sorry can’t remember, but I swear it’s cheap) as payment for those who are keeping the place clean. Look for the small signs with ‘Rock Formation’ by the road on the way to Cape Bolinao.

And since we don’t have anything planned yet for that coming summer (May 2011), I asked my friends to help me plan a trip to Bolinao! I’ll write about this soon.